Court Rejects Texas Teen's Appeal in Internet Music Case

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The Supreme Court has turned down an appeal from a Texas teenager who got in trouble for downloading music without paying.

Whitney Harper, a Texas Tech student, acknowledged she used file-sharing networks to download and share three dozen songs.

But she said the money she owes music companies should be reduced because as a 16-year-old she didn't know that what she did amounted to copyright infringement.

The justices rejected Harper's appeal Monday over a dissent from Justice Samuel Alito. The issue in the case is whether people who illegally swap music online can try to show that they did so innocently. Harper wanted the money owed for each song cut to $200 from $750.